


Thoughtful Stuffs

by your_world_will_crack



Category: Trailer Park Boys
Genre: Anxiety, Childhood, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-21 00:50:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6032161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_world_will_crack/pseuds/your_world_will_crack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles throughout the years. </p><p>Includes: </p><p>A chapter about Julian and his anxiety. </p><p>A chapter about how Ricky and Julian got their gold and silver necklaces. </p><p>A chapter featuring the first kitty Bubbles ever got.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Sound of Panic Attacks and Friendship (Part 1)

It was grade five, so Julian, Ricky, and Bubbles were about ten or so years old. It was fucking cold as hell out since November and all the snow made Ricky's too long pants get soaked on his way to school. 

The three of them were certainly more than ready for winter to get the fuck over with. The days were either grey or brighter than the lights on a hydroponics table. 

It was the middle of the week and the trio were sitting in their homeroom. Bubbles was paying attention to the teacher, taking down notes for himself and Ricky. Julian was reclining back, thinking of ways to get some money for whatever. Ricky was scribbling into the desk. 

"Guys," Bubbles whispered, "You remember we gotta go and talk in front of the whole school in an hour, don't you?" 

Ricky groaned and Julian looked nervous. 

"Yeah, I remember," Ricky said. 

"Did you write your report?" Bubbles asked. 

"Kinda," Ricky fumbled around in his folder for it. He liked it. It was bright red and it had his name written on it—In Bubbles' neat handwriting, too—so that dick Kyle Robiwinsky couldn't steal it. 

Ricky pulled out his report on tigers. He passed it to Bubbles, who flipped through it, frowning. 

"Ricky . . ." Bubbles muttered, "You wrote 'Tiger man's lay babies once a spring with their chosen lady'." 

"Yeah," Ricky nodded, "And I drew a picture of 'em, too. You see? Right there, there's a tiger." 

"Ricky, male tigers don't lay babies, for one." 

"They don't?"

"No, Ricky. The ladies always lay the eggs, and a tiger is a mammal."

"So?"

"Mammals don't lay babies." 

"Well then what do they do?"

Bubbles didn't actually know how mammals had babies. He just knew they weren't eggs. 

"What about you, Julian?" 

Julian didn't respond so Bubbles nudged him. 

"What?" Julian seemed to snap out of far far away land or wherever the fuck he was. 

"Julian, you're spacing out, there," Bubbles pointed out. He eyed his friend closely. Julian's eyes were darting around the floor. 

"Yeah, I made mine but I dunno if I'm gonna go up there." 

"Julian, you gotta." 

"I know but," Julian shook his head. 

"But what?" Bubbles pried. 

"Yeah, but what?" Ricky craned over the desk to hear. 

"I don't wanna talk about it." 

"Julian—" 

"Excuse me," Ms. Finnegan announced, "Bubbles, Ricky, Julian, it is disrespectful to talk when another person is talking." 

Ricky leaned closer to Bubbles.

"What does dis-re-spekt-a-full mean?" 

"It means it's mean."

Ricky turned back to the teacher while Julian had all but frozen in his seat. 

"Well, then it's pretty dis-re-spekt-a-full of you to be interrupting our conversation." 

All Ms. Finnegan did then was narrow her eyes at the boys and set her hands on her hips. Everyone in the class had turned and looked at them and a soft hush had filled the room, undercut only by the hum of the heaters. 

Julian was made so much more aware of his own breathing, then. He could hear only three things: the blood pounding in his head, his heart hammering faster and faster, and the sweet squeezing from his pores. 

He started breathing even harder, then. 

Ms. Finnegan's scrutinizing gaze changed into concern. 

"Julian?" Her heels clacked on the hard floor and echoed in the classroom. 

Julian couldn't hear her. He couldn't hear anything except the thump and heave of his own panic. 

Ms. Finnegan gently pushed Julian out of his chair and she instructed her aid to watch the class while she took Julian away. 

Walking Julian out of the class room was actually quite difficult, considering Julian wasn't picking up his feet. 

"Where are you taking him?" Bubbles asked. Ricky had already say out of his chair and pulled Bubbles along after them. The aid was too busy with the other gossiping kids to notice. 

"Why is Julian breathing all funny?" Ricky called down after Ms. Finnegan. "Julian!" 

Julian felt hot. His skin was sticky and his hands were slippery. His face burned and his stomach was all twisted. 

Bubbles and Ricky followed them all the way down to the nurse's office. 

"Debra," Ms. Finnegan said, "I think he's having a panic attack." 

A nurse straight out of a picturesque mind's eye spun around and quickly sat Julian down on the short bed. 

Bubbles and Ricky pushed around Ms. Finnegan. 

"Julian?" To Bubbles it looked like his friend's blue eyes had glazed over. He wasn't looking at them. He wasn't looking at anything. 

"My," he began weakly.

"Julian!" Ricky and Bubbles smiled. He nurse and teacher shushed them. 

"My stomach . . is . s-swirly. It's really h–hot . . . It's hard to—to brea~the." Julian gasped. 

The nurse pushed him down on the short bed and set a blanket over him and put a cold compress on his head. She also pulled a small bucket from underneath the bed and told Bubbles and Ricky that it was for if he threw up, and that they should stay with him and make him feel better. She was also very specific that they don't overwhelm or pressure him, and that she would be back shortly to check on them. 

She also told Ricky not to touch anything. 

For a bit they just sat there, the only sound being the barely audible buzz of the fluorescent lights and Julian's heaving. Bubbles and Ricky felt cold despite the heaters pumping out at full blast. The warmth had drained from their bodies as worry flooded in.


	2. The Sound of Panic Attacks and Friendship (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion to Julian's panic attack.

Bubbles was concerned and Ricky couldn't understand. His friend was having a heart attack or something and he had no idea what to do about it. Bubbles hung on to Julian's every desperate breath. 

Julian's breathing was ragged the whole way down but now it had finally seemed to be evening out. Bubbles and Ricky were relieved and Bubbles carefully patted Julian on the arm. 

"Bubbles, what's wrong with him?" 

"I don't know." 

"Why don't you know?"

"Because I don't know everything." 

He looked up and saw his friend, face all red, barely holding back tears. 

Ricky was hardly any better. Thoughts were racing through his head faster than he could grab them and express them. He felt pain and fear mingled in his stomach but he couldn't crush it. He just stared at his friend and listened to his breathing. 

"I'm scared."

"I am, too, Ricky." 

Finally, after what felt like hours to Bubbles and Ricky, Julian opened his eyes and turned to his friends. 

"Hey," he weakly muttered. 

"How're you doing, Julian?" 

"I'm–I'm okay." 

Ricky scooted his way onto Julian's bed. 

"What happened?" 

"That presentation . . I kept on thinking about it and then everything got hot like in the summer and I kept on breathing and breathing."

Bubbles and Ricky looked to each other and back to their friend.

"He had a panic attack." All three of their heads turned to the nurse. She had a glass of water and I reassuring smile. 

"What's a panic attack?" Bubbles asked. 

"It's when someone gets so scared their body gets scared, too. Either scared or stressed. Sometimes it happens when someone is worrying." She handed the glass of water to Julian, who sat up to drink it. "We call situations or words that cause panic attacks 'triggers'."

"'Triggers'," Ricky repeated. 

"This means that if Julian is to be involved in a situation that might trigger a panic attack, he needs you two to help him stay centered." She spoke more at Julian, this time, "If you ever feel one of these panic attacks coming on, just breathe really deeply and slowly. This can usually stop them, since it fools your brain into thinking there's no stressor. Okay?"

"Okay," Julian said, "Thank you." 

"Yeah, thanks." Bubbles and Ricky smiled. 

"I think we can go back to class. What do you think, Julian?" 

Bubbles, Ricky, and Julian forgot about their teacher. She was still there, watching them. 

"Yeah." Was all Julian said. 

They left and walked the way back to the classroom in a sort of silence. Ms. Finnegan thought it was complete and true silence, but she was mistaken. 

Julian could hear Bubbles and Julian's reassurance. Friendship had its own sort of sound, even if not everyone could recognize it. 

Julian was getting better at recognizing it. 

/--/

They actually met with the teacher's aid and the rest of their class as everyone was packing up to go to the gymnasium for their grade five animal presentations. 

Some kids stared at Julian on the way down, while others had completely forgotten about the incident. 

Ricky knew that Kyle Robiwinsky was talking all smart. 

"Julian's a weirdo," Ricky heard him whisper. Andrew Larson and Tony Boleau started laughing. 

Andrew Larson was a short boy, shorter than even Bubbles. He didn't like being called Andrew, because technically his name was Andrew Larson Junior. So most people just called him 'Meatball', after his favorite thing in the world. 

Tony Boleau was a scrapper on the hockey team and he made it his personal mission to fuck Ricky over as much as he possibly could. Tony went to their school, Waystrom Primary and Secondary, a public school, but he played hockey for a private school just across the boundaries. 

So no, Ricky wasn't afraid of some kid who went by "Meatball" and some shitty wing who was too stuck up for the public team. 

"I am serious, I will shatter you against the flagpole." Ricky wasn't intimated by those three. In fact, no one in the whole school worried him. Even the bigger kids across of the fields didn't made him scared. 

The only things to be scared of were snakes and the dark. Snakes because they didn't have any legs, which was plain freaky, and the dark because you couldn't see the snakes. 

Ricky had put Kyle, Andrew, and Tony against the wall 

"Shut up, Ricky." Kyle retorted, begging for the confrontation. 

"You love Julian." Tony accused.

"Ricky loves Julian!" Meatball laughed. 

At this point most of the class has started listening to the hubbub and joined in laughter. Ms. Finnegan was all but deaf to the shenanigans of grade fivers. 

Bubbles was getting nervous right beside Julian. 

"Shut up, Shortie," Ricky balled his fists, "You, too, private-hockey-bitch." 

Some of the kids gasped while others just started giggling. 

Bubbles grabbed Ricky away and pushed him and Julian through their classmates and into the gymnasium. 

Just like they had been told, the rest of the grades had already gathered and were sitting in somewhat organized rows on hard floor. Most of them were squirmy and their voices culminated into one big roar. 

In the front of the gym, which was actually the back, had a raised stage that had been wheeled out from the storage room, along with a set of risers of to its side, where the grade fivers and their teachers could sit and wait for their turns. 

Bubbles pushed his friends behind the risers. They were small enough to where they didn't need to duck under the support beams. 

At the front of the stage, which they could just see from their vantage point between Mr. Gunderson's legs, one of the assistant principals stood with a microphone. She went over some school codes of conduct and thanked the students for being respectful and quite for the presentations to come. She announced the first student to come up. 

"Alright, Ricky, you need to calm down with the flagpole." Bubbles faced his friend.

"Me calm down? Why don't you tell Kyle and those other two to clam down?"

"Because Kyle will shove woodchips into my pants and steal my glasses like he did last time." 

Ricky shrugged, "Don't worry about it, Bubbles, I'm not afraid of that chipbag." 

"Chipbag?"

"My dad doesn't like me saying the real way." 

"Chipbag," Bubbles mumbled. 

"Hey, forget about the chipbags for a sec'. Julian are you gonna be okay?" 

"I don't know," Julian sat down, flapping his shirt, "I feel really hot again." 

Bubbles and Ricky sat next to him, but not close enough to touch, lest they make him hotter. 

"What are you worried about specific-ally?" Ricky asked. 

"I–I don't know. I just freeze up a–and I can't think of anything to say," he huffed, "Like I can't even remember my own name." 

"Well, that's easy, your name is Julian." 

"Ricky!" Bubbles admonished. 

"What?" 

At that moment the principal called Julian up the stage. 

Julian breathed in and out and grabbed his paper on foxes and went up. 

"He's gonna be fine, Bubs."

"I hope so Ricky."

The principal smiled, slightly confused as to where Julian came from, but gave him the microphone nevertheless. 

Then Julian made the mistake of looking out into the audience. His arms dropped and he froze. 

Bubbles and Ricky waited in the tensed few seconds of their lives. 

Thankfully, Julian remembered the breathing the nurse told him about. 

"My name is Julian and my report is on foxes," he looked at his paper, "F–Foxes are car-ni-vores. T–That means they on-only eat meat. Foxes are like d-d-dogs and wolves. They–" Julian suddenly stopped. The microphone amplified his harsh breaths and Ricky and Bubbles knew they were getting harsher.

"C'mon, Julian." Ricky pleaded

"You're doing so well." Bubbles whispered. 

Suddenly, from above them, on the risers, a whiny voice that Ricky immediately recognized rang out. 

"A cat's got Julian's tongue!" 

Laughter erupted from all around and quickly escalated into the whole gymnasium being incorrigible. 

"That's it!" Ricky shouted as he ran from under the risers. "Kyle I am done with you!" Bubbles ran after his friend who had made his way up over several rows of kids to where Kyle and his chipbags were. 

Ricky shoved Kyle and Meatball and Tony grabbed Ricky. Bubbles ran after his friend but the teachers got there before he could. Ricky and the other three were deprecated and just Ricky was brought down the risers and taken out of the gymnasium. 

"This is so stupid!" He shouted the whole way out, "Julian was doing great before that chipbag dummy Kyle messed everything up! Why aren't you taking him?" 

Bubbles hugged Julian and together they asked Ms. Finnegan if they could leave the gym and wait for Ricky outside the principal's office. 

She let them go and until the end of school at 2:00PM, the two of them sat, swinging their legs back and forth on the bench and talking about whatever they wanted. 

Eventually, Ricky did come out of the principal's office. 

"Hey,"

"Hey, Ricky."

"Hey, Julian, I'm sorry that stump Kyle was being a frick. You were great." Ricky said.

"Thanks for going at him," Julian laughed. 

"Well, guys, let's go home." Bubbles pulled his friends along. 

Julian smiled as he walked between his two best friends. After all the voices and heat he had heard today, the panic was gone. As they walked out between the other groups of screaming kids, all Julian could hear was their in sync footsteps and comfort. 

It was more than enough to calm his heart and give him peace. The sound of friendship was the soundtrack he heard everywhere with these two and he wouldn't go a single day without waking up and falling asleep to that warm song. 

And the warmth had returned to Bubbles and Ricky ever since he had been stolen from their earlier today. Julian wasn't panicking and they could go home and play long after the sun set, singing the same song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like the idea of Julian having social anxiety so I wrote this piece. I took it from his inability to talk to police officers and went a bit more extreme with Julian's reliance on Ricky for ways out of situations.


	3. Just An Average Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bubbles is being bullied and Julian uses slightly different methods than Ricky to rectify the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is such a piece of shit I'm so sorry. I'm way better at writing smut.

Julian, Ricky, and Bubbles were close. Everyone in grade six only knew them together. Julian devising the plans, Ricky executing them, and Bubbles hopping along as moral support. 

But Bubbles' life was far from perfect. His parents left a year ago and he felt alone ever since. 

He had been bullied since preschool and for the most part, Julian and Ricky couldn't stop it. Ricky fought everyone which just made them more infuriated, which often made them pick on Bubbles more. 

Ricky once tried to stay away, to let Bubbles handle his problems on his own, like the school counsellor suggested, but he couldn't stand Bubbles' crying. It hurt too much, knowing he could do something. 

Julian was a little bit more quiet than Ricky. The way he handled things was far more dangerous. 

Bubbles first witnessed Julian's interestingly unique strength on a sunny afternoon in May. 

It was lunchtime recess and Julian was drinking rum and coke out of an old, plastic coca-cola bottle. It looked just like regular Coke to everyone else, and it wasn't like anyone was suspicious enough to try it. 

Ricky was playing games with some of the sportier kids, running up and down the hill. And from Julian's vantage point on the the top a slide he could see Willa and her friends playing on the jungle box, Corey and Trevor digging in the sand, and Bubbles swinging and chatting with him. 

"Julian?" Bubbles asked.

"Yeah?" Julian and Bubbles had to raise their voices to talk over the laughter and summer breeze.

"Will you come push me?" 

"I'll do it tomorrow."

"Julian," Bubbles whined, "Your promised me yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. Please, Julian." 

Julian sighed, sealed his coke and rum, and let it go down the slide while he balanced down towards Bubbles. He walked behind his friend, who giggled happily. 

"Thanks, Julian."

"Of course, Bubs." He pushed his friend. Slowly at first and the swing quickly picked up speed. Bubbles pushed his legs together and leaned with the pushes to go higher and higher. On the back row, Bubbles was far higher than Julian's head now. He could barely reach the seat without getting knocked down. 

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Kyle and some other fucks walking towards them. Looking him in the eye, too. 

Julian grabbed the swing rungs and struggled to pull Bubbles to a hault. 

"Look at the faggot pushing the googly-eyes bastard on the swing," shouted Kyle. 

He walked at the head, flanked by two of the meanest kids in school. 

Kyle was a dick with blond hair and baggy shorts. Meatball was still smaller than everybody and Tony was still stealing slapshots at Ricky during games. 

"Ain't that just fucking reek of rainbows." Tony said. 

Kyle leaned towards Bubbles, who had stepped behind Julian and was looking anywhere but the problem in front of him. 

"Don't know if being a faggot's faggot is a step up or down from being a googly-eyed bastard." 

"Googly-eyed faggot." Meatball declared. 

Apparently Ricky noticed the commotion and camp storming down, jocks trailing behind him. 

"Fuck off," Ricky growled. He went to grab Kyle. Julian knew where this was going. 

Ricky would take on Kyle and his dummies alone, and would usually come out on top. The problem was it never solved anything. It didn't matter how many times Ricky punched Kyle, Kyle would still come back the next day, talking shit, especially about Bubbles. God forbid the day Ricky and Julian were both absent, and Bubbles was left alone. 

Julian pulled back Ricky before he could yank on Kyle's hockey jersey. 

"You better calm your bitch down," Tony leered in what he thought was an imposing fashion. 

"Listen," Julian whispered, "Take Bubbles someplace. I'll handle this." 

Ricky glanced from Julian, to Kyle, Kyle's lackeys, and back to Julian. He grimaced but relinquished. 

"Okay, Julian." Ricky grabbed Bubbles and quickly distracted him with talk about cats.

Julian waited until they were a safer distance away and he turned back to Kyle. 

Other kids were watching their interactions like hawks. Shithawks, Mr. Lahey once said. They knew when a shitstorm was coming and they watched far away in their little shithawk nests, squawking about the storm all next week. 

"Listen," Julian may have been looking Kyle in the eyes, but in reality he was freezing Kyle in his shoes, "I'm gonna give you this last chance. But if you even look at Bubbles wrong, I will tell Ricky your address and you'll never see your card collection again."

The breath went straight out of Kyle, "How–his do you know about that?"

"It's in a tin box under your bed. And Meatball, I know about your records and precious posters. And I know your patio door doesn't lock. Tony, Ricky could really use some new hockey sticks. Fuck knows all you use them for is illegal checks." Julian was almost satisfied once the color had drained out of all their faces, "I've been wanting a big bonfire boys. Don't make me have one on behalf of you." 

Julian left to find Ricky and Bubbles just before recess ended. They all walked in the school together as the bell rang and a small smirk slipped onto Julian's face as he noticed Kyle and then pointedly looking anyplace but him and his friends.


	4. It's Hot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ricky and Julian skip class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some people informed me that Mayish does not count as summer but to me anything about 80 degrees is fucking hot, and where I live it seems like it's either 80 degrees or negative thirty.

Julian didn't know what to do. Phil Collins was being a dick and basically kicked Jacob out of his camper. 

Jacob still dressed like Julian, and he guessed Phil had had enough of it. He figured Phil was going to let his son get into his own problems and regret them himself, then he'd finally learn. 

And perhaps Ricky was right. Maybe he _was_ getting too attached. Every since '99, when he Ricky operated their pet removal business, he was soft. He had only gotten softer with every trailer he gave back and every sacrifice he made. Not only for Bubbles and Ricky, but for people like Lahey, Randy, and Barbara. It was getting absurd but he couldn't stop himself. 

And so that's how he found himself in this predicament. Somehow feeling responsible for Jacob, he took it upon himself to figure out a solution to Jacob's sudden homelessness. 

He came up with what would hopefully be temporary solution. 

/--/

Sometime after noon Julian set out to find Jacob. Judging by Ricky's cursing, Corey and Jacob were with him. He just followed the "cocksuckers" and "God damn idiots" the sweet summer breeze carried. 

He resisted a smile when he saw Ricky flooding the breaks on the Yorker, while Corey and Jacob stood around helplessly. 

"Hey, man," Julian greeted. 

Ricky hardly heard him over the thrum of the engine and his own swears. He got out his car, rubbing his sweat-soaked face. 

"Hey, Julian." Even sweaty, Ricky managed to look tired and enviro rated all at the same time. That's what a daily cocktail of cigarettes, dope, and liquor did to you. 

"Breaks fucked?" 

"Fuck yeah, I had to get these two dummies to steal a new break line. Bleeding them has been a fucking dick." 

"You mind if I borrow Jacob for a little while?" 

Ricky shrugged, "Go for it. What you need him for?" 

"Nothing major," Julian turned to Jacob and gestured, "C'mon, let's go." 

Jacob hurried alongside Julian and they both tried to pretend Ricky and Corey weren't watching them curiously. 

To his credit, Jacob waited until they were down the gravel road a bit before bursting open with questions.

"Where are we going? Are you having me do a job?—Not sayin' I won't but—"

"Jacob, Jacob," Julian quieted, "No job. But I think I figured out a place for you to live." 

"Really? That's great. Where?" 

Julian and to be careful, "This would only be a temporary thing, until I con figure out something better but," he breathed once, twice, "you can live with me". 

There was silence and Julian dared to look at Jacob. 

His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide. Somehow Julian could see the excitement restrained underneath his skin and tact. 

"Live—with you—in your trailer—" 

"Yes, yes, you can sleep on my couch," Julian said, "Let's go get whatever stuff you have." 

"I stashed my bag of clothes and shit by Bubbles's shed." 

"Okay, that's on our way, let's go get it. I'll show you around and whatnot." 

/--/

The first thing Jacob noticed about Julian's place was he left it unlocked. Julian felt his bewilderment and explained very carefully. 

"Reverse psychology, Jacob." 

"Reverse psychology," Jacob repeated. 

It didn't really make much sense to him but Julian was decades smarter than he ever could dream. 

"But I suppose now I will be locking it since you're here. Over there's the living room where you'll be sleeping," then Julian pointed to a old cherry dresser, "you can put your clothes and whatever else in there." 

Jacob smiled and sat down on the couch, going through his bag of what little belongings he could get from his dad's camper before he was thrown out. I couple pairs of clothes, sunglasses, a stick of deodorant and half a bottle of coke. 

"The fridge has shit in it," Julian went on, "I take a shower every morning at seven. You can shower after that. I don't want you using up all my hot water. It's pretty warm out right now, but if you need a blanket, there's a few in that closet." 

"Okay, thanks, Julian." 

"No problem," Julian almost forgot, "And if anyone, specially Ricky, asks, you're living in the woods or in a slide or something." 

"Why?" 

Julian shot him a look. 

"Okay, sorry. I live under a park bench." 

"Good kid." 

"Hey, Julian?" 

"What?"

"Could we go to the convenience store? It's just, I don't have a toothbrush or shaving creme." 

Julian let out a little sigh but agreed, "Lets go now." 

They went into Julian's sleek, black daydream and while they were out, Julian decided they should stock up on food. He rarely kept food in his house. Most days he only ate small meals that were few and far between. The rum and coke usually filled him. 

But Jacob was so thin, it sometimes worried Julian. He didn't want Jacob going hungry or possibly loosing even more weight. 

So together they picked out licorice, graham crackers, a bag of potatoes, some sauces, noodles, instant and Kraft dinners. They piled everything into the bag seat of Julian's car and they road home in companionable silence. The only sound being the road under their tires and the station gently playing rock music. 

At least, until Queen came on. 

"Oh, fuck yeah!" Jacob cheered, "Can I turn it up?" 

Julian was in disbelief, "You like Queen?"

"Yeah man, Queen fucking rocks." 

"Fuck yeah, buddy, turn it up." 

The rest of the way home the radio drowned out the car's roar, but it couldn't drown out their slightly high, rather drunk singing. 

Julian shit his door and they gathered their bags of groceries and toiletries. 

"That was fuckin' awesome." 

"Fuckin' right?" Jacob accidentally gave Julian a good time and he was trying to contain his pride and excitement from bubbling from his mouth. 

It was now a little before three o'clock. They put away the groceries and Jacob set up his own little area in the bathroom and put the rest of his belongings aside. Julian sent Jacob back to Ricky while he went to deal with some bullshit with J-Roc and the Roc Pile. 

But not before they made an agreement to have Kraft dinner at eight o'clock tonight.


	5. Samsquamsches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bubbles is scared of samsquamsches. Julian helps him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some headcannon I had.

"Julian. Julian!" Bubbles knocked on his friend's trailer door. He hoped to Tigers Julian would answer instead of his grandma. 

Bubbles heard some rustling inside the trailer and he saw his friend come down the darkened hallway, confused and half-asleep. 

"What is it, Bubs? It's so late," Julian opened the door and leaned against the frame. 

All around them crickets chirped, somehow still awake. Beyond that there was nothing but the distant sound of a few lone cars down the road far beyond. 

"It's actually early," Bubbles corrected. 

"What?" 

"Well, it's almost one AM, so it's technically early." 

"Fff," Only being thirteen, and being in the earliest hours of the morning, Julian still managed to smell of rum, coke, and metal. "Why are you here?" 

Bubbles didn't speak for a moment. Instead he just listened to the bugs singing. 

"Bubs?" Julian pressed. 

Bubbles breathed in, "I can't sleep, and I don't want to sleep alone. I–I'm scared one of them samsquamsches is gonna break into my shed."

"Bubs, hats ridiculous, samsquamsches don't exist." 

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I am."

"Well, I'm not so sure."

"Look," Julian was too tired to be dealing with this shit right now, "Come in, you can sleep with me."

Bubbles was relieved, "Oh, thank Murphy!" 

Bubbles pushed in behind his friend. Julian now just noticed that Bubbles was in his summer jammies that consisted of a matching button up pastel shirt and soft pants. He also had a blanket and a stuffed cat. 

Julian led him into his bedroom and they crawled in side-by-side, knees knocking and elbows bumping in Julian's too-small-for-two-teenage-boys' bed. But it didn't bother either of them. 

Bubbles was glad to be safe with his friend, away from the threat of any Samsquamsches. 

"Hey, Julian."

"Yeah?" 

They whispered, both to be courteous to Julian's grandma, but also because they were up against each other's cheeks. 

"What would you do if a samsquamsche came in here?" 

Julian didn't think about it. 

"I'd fucking kill it."

"Really?" 

"Yeah, no gross fucking hairy dick is gonna get my Bubbles."

Bubbles smiled into Julian's neck.

"Thanks."

"Mm, now do you feel better enough to sleep?" 

"Yeah." 

"Okay. Good night." 

"Good night, Julian." 

The two boys drifted off to sleep seconds apart, just listening to each other's gentle inhales and exhales, lost in the rhythm of their heartbeats. 

This wouldn't be the last time Bubbles crawled into Julian's bed for comfort, nor could Julian imagine it being the last time he swore to protect his friend against unimaginable foes. 

It was just two young boys who found safety in each other. Even as small as they were, with only the covers between them and the endless universe beyond, they were invulnerable, so long as they were together. 

And they would always be.

**Author's Note:**

> More to come! All different, short little stories. I'll even take requests down in the comments! :)


End file.
